1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to a sliding guide rail for a convertible vehicle. More particularly, it relates to a guide rail for a sliding mechanism of a convertible vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In general, a convertible vehicle is provided with a movable roof capable of being opened and closed with respect to a vehicle body. When the vehicle roof is opened, the roof is stored in a trunk in a folding or sliding manner to be used as an open car, and the opened roof can be closed over the vehicle body, if necessary.
FIGS. 6 and 7 are images showing conventional convertible vehicles.
The convention convertible vehicles using a sliding mechanism include Volkswagen Eos with a slidable sunroof (refer to FIG. 6) and Peugeot 407 Macarena with a panorama sunroof (refer to FIG. 7).
In the case of Volkswagen Eos, when a wire screw pulls the sunroof backward, the sunroof slides along a guide rail on a front side and, in the case of Macarena, the sunroof slides along a rail formed on a side pillar in the form of a panorama.
However, the guide rail applied to the conventional convertible vehicle such as Volkswagen Eos has a two-step rail structure in which only the sunroof slides. Accordingly, a four-bar link mechanism is used in a rear roof, which increases the height of a roof module packaged, instead of the guide rail, thus reducing the volume of the trunk and increasing the time required to open and close the vehicle roof.
Moreover, in the case of the convertible vehicle such as Macarena, since the sunroof is driven in the form of a panorama along a single guide rail, the side pillars protrude toward a rear seat of the vehicle when the sunroof is stored in the trunk, thus reducing the rear space of the vehicle.
Furthermore, an additional driving device for opening the side pillars to both sides is required to ensure the space of the rear seat.
The information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.